HAS THE BUBBLE FINALLY BURST?

Is it possible that the demand for driving lessons has begun to slow down? Post Covid many instructors experienced a higher than normal demand for driving lessons. The message had finally got across that having a stab at the driving test was not the answer to the long wait for driving tests. Students have been taking more lessons than normal to ensure they got that first time pass. Students who could not learn to drive during the Covid period were also looking to pass their driving tests. The Driving Instructor register also shrunk, possibly for good reasons as there are far too many instructors to service the number of students in the market. There are now signs that the slow down has begun. Many driving test centres are reporting less wait for driving tests. Instructors are beginning to advertise for lessons once more and compete with their peers. Whilst the major cities still have a problem with a long wait for driving tests, this is not the case in places like Norwich or the South East of England that almost appear untouched by covid. This is a good sign for consumers as they can now find an instructor available to give lessons without the need to wait long periods for lessons. The downside is that many instructors are still trying to recover from Covid and have not been working long enough to recover their losses. I expect to see more driving tests become available over the next 3-6months in the major cities and the demands for lessons should revert back to how it was pre-covid. This would mean by the end of 2023 it should be much easier to plan ahead for driving tests.